IRNA · September 2026

• Iranian officials quoted as authoritative voices with no distancing verbs ('Araghchi:', 'Pezeshkian:', 'Baqaei:')
• Iran framed as victim of foreign aggression ('US heinous crime', 'US-Israeli pressure', 'false narratives')
• Iran's diplomatic activity foregrounded as successful and constructive ('cementing ties', 'constructive cooperation', 'ready to resolve issues')
• Iranian rejections of foreign claims presented as fact ('Iran rejects US claims', 'mocks US claim')

IRNA is Iran's state news agency, so the positive stance toward Iran is expected and structural rather than independent editorial judgment. The entity's quoted content is often hostile to the US/Israel, but the outlet itself consistently treats Iran as credible, victimised, and diplomatically successful.

• Araghchi is consistently the grammatical subject of active, agenda-setting verbs ('meets', 'calls for', 'criticizes', 'pursues'), framing him as a proactive statesman.
• His statements are reported as declarative fact without distancing verbs — 'Araghchi: Iran will reveal...', 'Iran attaches special value...: Araghchi' — treating his words as authoritative policy.
• Selection foregrounds diplomatic wins and high-level access (UNGA, China, Russia, Qatar, Italy), not setbacks or criticism of him.
• Combative quotes ('Stop your crocodile tears', 'hold US and Israeli regime accountable') are amplified as legitimate Iranian foreign-policy voice rather than framed as belligerence.

IRNA is Iran's state news agency, so the favourable framing is structurally expected; the entity's quoted content is often hostile to third parties (US, Israel, France), but the outlet's own stance toward Araghchi himself is consistently respectful and promotional. Coverage is largely event-driven and factual in form, which caps the score at +1 rather than +2.

• Honorific 'President Pezeshkian' used consistently, treating him as authoritative head of state
• His statements are amplified as declarative fact ('says no power can destroy Iran', 'Iran will not bow to pressure') without distancing verbs
• Selection foregrounds diplomatic wins: bilateral meetings, BRICS/UN summits, returns and arrivals
• Third-party validation quoted (Qalibaf praising his UN speech, Rosatom chief on Putin meeting)

IRNA is Iran's state news agency, so the favourable framing is structural rather than independent editorial judgement. Many headlines are routine diplomatic logistics (arrivals, meetings) that would be neutral in another outlet; the positive score reflects consistent amplification of Pezeshkian as a credible, respected statesman. Note that his quoted content is often defiant toward the West ('rejects coercion and bullying') — this is the entity's stance toward third parties, not IRNA's stance toward him, which remains favourable.

• UN framed as a venue for Iranian diplomacy (UNGA sidelines meetings, speeches) rather than as an actor to be evaluated
• UN Security Council criticised as biased/abusive when it acts against Iran ('abuse of authority', 'holds UNSC responsible')
• UN chief and humanitarian officials treated neutrally-to-respectfully as interlocutors (meetings, concerns relayed)
• Iranian officials' praise of UN platforms amplified, but criticism directed at specific UN bodies, not the UN as a whole

Coverage is largely event-driven and instrumental: IRNA treats the UN as a diplomatic stage for Iran rather than as an entity with its own agency. Stance toward the UN as a whole is genuinely mixed — positive/neutral when UN officials meet Iranian counterparts or when UNGA hosts Iranian speeches, but sharply critical of the Security Council and IAEA when they act against Iranian interests. The negative valence in headlines 5 and 13 targets UNSC decisions, not the UN per se, so a 0 is more honest than a negative score.

• US actions framed as 'warmongering', 'hostile rhetoric', 'annihilation threats'
• Trump portrayed as foolish, caught in a quagmire, and making 'big lies'
• Iranian officials quoted authoritatively to mock or condemn US positions
• Selection emphasizes US failures and Iranian defiance (downing drone, rejecting claims)

The entity is the US, and the outlet's own vocabulary and framing are consistently negative. While many headlines report Iranian officials' statements, the outlet amplifies these without distancing, reinforcing a hostile stance toward the US.

• Baqaei's statements are reported as headline facts with no distancing verbs ('says', 'condemns', 'reprimands')
• IRNA foregrounds Baqaei's condemnations and legal positions as the outlet's own framing
• No critical or skeptical coverage of Baqaei appears; all 16 headlines are favourable or neutral
• Baqaei is treated as the authoritative voice of Iranian foreign policy

The entity's quoted content is hostile toward the US, Canada, and Europe, but the outlet's stance toward Baqaei himself is favourable: he is quoted authoritatively and his statements are amplified without skepticism. This is a state-owned outlet (IRNA) reporting on an Iranian official, so the positive stance reflects institutional alignment rather than independent editorial judgment.